English Language Institute

Dana Lynch brings diverse teaching and learning experiences to his role as an Instructor at the York University English Language Institute at the School of Continuing Studies. He has worked in the field of international education in various contexts for nearly 25 years in Canada and South Korea.

As a full-time Institute Instructor since 2005, Dana has taught English for Academic Purposes to international students at many levels of English proficiency in the Academic Program as well as other programs such as Destination York.

Beginning his teaching career in 1995 at an English language school in Kwangju, South Korea, Dana taught English as a Second Language to adults for almost two years. Later he returned to South Korea in 1999 as a Korea Foundation Language Fellow and studied the Korean language for eight months at Yonsei University in Seoul, South Korea. He subsequently taught students and civil servants at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul.

Dana received both his B.A. (Philosophy) and M.A. (East Asian Studies) degrees from the University of Toronto. Additionally, he received his TESL Ontario certification (OCELT) from the Canadian Centre for Language and Cultural Studies in Toronto. His professional development has included studying online course development at the University of Toronto and doing presentations for TESL Canada, TESL Ontario, and TESOL.

Donald Smith has over 30 years of experience teaching various Englishes in Canada, the U.S., and overseas.  Don is highly rated by his students for his challenging and widely literate courses, which are delivered in a supportive environment where students’ individual perspectives and strengths are acknowledged and celebrated. Don believes in the power of confidence, humor, and resilience to help international students achieve their goals.

In the U.S. and Canada, Don has taught English composition to first and third-year undergraduates. He has also taught poetry and fiction writing, literature, and life writing to adult learners.  At York, he co-revised and launched a program on Teaching in English for non-native English-speaking graduate student TAs and built a cross-Institute program of experiential encounters with University Life for pre-university EAP learners.

As founding developer/coordinator of the Graduate Studies Preparation program, Don takes a personal interest in participants’ success, helping them engage in real-life career thinking and leveraging his own university contacts in both the U.S. and Canada to help them research and apply to graduate programs that will suit them professionally and financially.

As an undergraduate, Don studied Music (Vocal Performance), Theatre Lighting and Set Design, Anthropology, and Linguistics, before ultimately taking his BA in English Literature.  He has worked as a stagehand at a university theatre and an editor at a university press.  He has an MFA in Writing from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a PhD in English from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Jagrati Chauhan has over 10 years of experience teaching English for Academic Purposes (EAP) at York University English Language Institute and over 25 years of experience in English Language Teaching (ELT) and teacher training/mentoring.

She holds a PhD in English, and a Masters in Linguistics and ELT. Her teaching and research interests include content-based and skill-based academic English language instruction, pragmatics, and evidence-based writing in EAP Programs. She has presented widely on these topics at various conferences and webinars. Her previous experience in online instruction at National Association of Career Colleges and instructional design at EduPros, helped her in further expanding her knowledge of technology enhanced pedagogies, and in introducing a variety of different teaching and learning activities to better reflect the cultural diversity of  Institute students. Her tutoring experience at Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning has provided her with invaluable experience and expertise in the areas of tutoring and individual student counseling.

Jagrati has experience in coordinating language programs, designing curricula, and assessing standardized tests as a certified Rater/Examiner. She took initiative to make improvements to the pathway programs by streamlining the courses and creating an inclusive learning module that was seamless both for the learners and instructors. To further hone her program management skills, she completed The ACE Certificate in Language Program Management with Distinction from Mount Royal University, Calgary. The program aimed at enhancing the management skills of language professionals through practical application of various management techniques, strategies, approaches and concepts.

Johan has over 20 years of experience teaching English to various students around the world. He has helped students improve their English proficiency and writing skills in leading institutions from University of Seoul to University of Toronto. His various certificates evidence his enthusiasm for learning, teaching, and new methodologies in Designing a New Learning Environment, Langauge Teaching and Technology, Gamification, Occupation Specific Language, etc.

Johan has also helped to educate new teachers in the field of TESL as a Theory and Post TESL Certificate Training Instructor and helped train examiners as an IELTS examiner trainer. His specialty is on language assessment, technology-enhanced learning, and feedback. He is also an executive member of the Canadian Association of Language Assessment to foster language assessment practice and scholarship.

His motto is “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make them think.” This is reflected in his teaching by helping students realize their potential and facilitating by example.

Johan is currently working on his Ph.D. in education and has a Master’s in Applied Linguistics, Bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science and Chinese Culture and History.

Juanita Huan Zhou (M.A., B.A.) has a teaching experience of thirty years in ESL, EFL, film studies, and public speaking. She has taught in China, Singapore, US, and Canada and has presented at local, national, and international conferences such as TESL Toronto, TESL Canada, TESOL, Asia TEFL, CLESOL, and LTAC (the Literary Translators’ Association of Canada). She has published books and journal articles in Chinese and in English and has many film translation credits under her belt.

During her twenty-year tenure at the York University English Language Institute, Juanita has taught in the Academic Program, Destination York, Pre-Destination York, and Fast Track, the levels spanning from true beginners to low advanced. Her professional interest in course development, test design, rubrics development, and curriculum revision is most evident in the several projects in curriculum revision at the Institute she has carried out and the instrumental role she has played in the development of exit tests and writing rubrics for various levels.

The seminars she has designed and offered at the Institute are also multifaceted, including Spelling, Improving Accuracy in Writing, Pronunciation, the Art of Conversation, Just for Laughs, How to Watch a Movie, and English Through Film Adaptation Across Cultures. Juanita enjoys working with highly-motivated, conscientious, and respectful students who endeavour to broaden their horizon by taking on the challenge of learning a new language.

Meghan Collins is a full-time instructor at York University’s English Language Institute.  She is a passionate teacher whose education and experience help her students succeed.  Meghan’s education includes a Bachelor of Science Honours from the University of Guelph, a Master of Education in Teaching English as a Second Language from the University of Tasmania, and the CELTA, TESL Ontario and TESL Canada certificates.

Her passion has taken her around the world, teaching in South Korea, China, Thailand, Cambodia, Turkey, and Canada.  She has presented her work at international conferences, including TESL Ontario, TESL Canada and at the World Conference of Online Learning.  Meghan is also skilled at creating learning materials, both synchronous and asynchronous, using the most current pedagogy and technology.

Through this education and experience, Meghan has a strong understanding of how to motivate her students through engaging communicative and task-based lessons, leaving them proficient in the English skills needed to excel in their university courses and confident in all of the academic situations they will encounter.

Yuliya Miakisheva is a passionate language educator who has been committed to providing her students with learner-centered educational opportunities in North America and overseas for over 25 years.

For the past 20 years, Yuliya has been teaching English for Academic and Professional purposes at York University. There, she has created and facilitated face-to-face and blended university preparation courses for international undergraduate students. She has also designed and delivered graduate preparation interdisciplinary courses for internationally trained legal, business, and medical professionals.In addition to her teaching experience, Yuliya worked as a program coordinator for graduate preparation and professional programs, where she cultivated language and professional skills in students to be applied in their future careers.

In her work, Yuliya has been exploring innovative solutions in higher education and their application in language teaching through individual and team projects and professional development opportunities. Yuliya regularly presents at professional conferences, locally and internationally, and has a number of professional publications.